The female-led on-screen narrative which has dominated entertainment trends this year, continues with Netflix’s first female-led Saudi original series “Crashing Eid”.
The impactful short story format television series, which premiered on the streaming platform last month, has put Middle Eastern actress Summer Shesha in the spotlight, alongside a strong female Saudi cast.
And as was the case with the likes of the “Barbie” movie and “Scream VI” in 2023, female actresses are increasingly taking up leading roles which are not limited to the usual rom-com or drama content.
And gone are the days when women acted as accessories for the leading male characters; they have now stepped up and are portraying complex characters that have interesting back stories.
Shesha’s role in the hit family drama-comedy is set to cement her acting credentials as she delicately – and in some instances comically – tackles societal romantic taboos in “Crashing Eid”.
She plays the role of Razan, a Saudi woman living in the UK with her teenage daughter. As she returns home during Ramadaan, her British-Pakistani fiancé crashes her family’s Eid celebrations.
Razan quickly discovers that they don’t necessarily approve of her relationship and that breaking with tradition may be harder than she had thought.
While the series is filled with comedic moments, it touches on a variety of topics domestic and foreign viewers will be able to relate to.
These includes racism, feminism and toxic masculinity. “Crashing Eid”, through its compelling and impactful storyline, also depicts different forms of abuse as well as challenging and toxic family dynamics, divorce and changing culture and norms.
The series was created by Saudi film-maker Nora Aboushousha, who is no stranger to pushing boundaries in the cinematic sense. He was also the brains behind “Lucky You Are Mine”, which sheds light on mental illness in Saudi Arabia.
The movie won a production grant by the Saudi Film Commission before debuting at the 2022 Red Sea International Film Festival to strong acclaim.
“Crashing Eid” follows hot on the heels of Netflix’s first Saudi original comedy series “Tahir’s House”, which centres around a family of amateur entrepreneurs who are forced to unite as they attempt to convert their failing fish shop into a thriving business.
And with other Middle Eastern content, including the likes of the hit reality show “Dubai Bling”, movies and shows from this part of the world appear to be growing in popularity.
And for “Crashing Eid’s” Shesha and her co-stars, exposure to an international audience is set to expand their horizons
“Crashing Eid” was Shesha’s first major lead. She recently told the newspaper “Arab News” that working on this project was important to her, not only as an actress, but also as a woman, as she believed the series grappled with themes that needed to be placed in the spotlight.
“This is a show with global themes of family, conflict and love,” she said. “I really wanted a show that both felt specific and universal and this show has really captured that.”
Landing her first major role in a series was something she could only dream about a decade ago when she was thriving in the finance world.
But her passion and talent saw her taking a completely different career path and venturing into the entertainment space.
The budding star continued to grapple with her identity, admitting to “Arab News” that for nine years, she struggled to decide whether to introduce herself as an actress or as a banker because as a senior manager in one of the top banks in her country, she had found success in the finance world.
She told the publication that it was hard to let this part of her life go, even after appearing in hit films such as “Book of Sun”, or winning the best actress award at the Saudi Film Festival for her role in “Kayan”.
Now, a year since she left the finance world behind, Shesha is more driven than ever. She’s writing her own projects, having received a grant from Netflix’s Grow Creative Initiative.
With three more films in post-production, “Crashing Eid” may be her breakout moment to the world as an actress, but it appears to be only a herald of the myriad things to come.
“Crashing Eid” is currently streaming on Netflix.